A Course In Miracles from My Perspective

June 23rd 2014  Lesson 48

There is nothing to fear. 

The idea for today simply states a fact.  It is not a fact to those who believe in illusions, but illusions are not facts.  In truth there is nothing to fear.  It is very easy to recognize this.  But it is very difficult to recognize it for those who want illusions to be true.

• Intention:   Today's practice periods will be very short, very simple and very frequent.  Merely repeat the idea as often as possible.   
    
• Practice: Repeat today's idea with your eyes open at any time and in any situation.  It is strongly recommended, however, that you take a minute or so whenever possible to close your eyes and repeat the idea slowly to yourself several times.  It is particularly important that you use the idea immediately, should anything disturb your peace of mind.
    
  When God is the strength in which I trust, indeed, there is nothing to fear.
      
• Application:   The presence of fear is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own strength.  The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in your mind, though not necessarily in a place you recognize as yet, you have remembered God, and let His strength take the place of your weakness.  The instant you are willing to do this there is indeed nothing to fear. 
       

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Insights/comments:

• The basis of fear is the awareness of some weakness that makes us feel vulnerable.  This awareness can lead to the experience of pain, loss, or suffering of some kind.  The solution is simply to remember that this awareness is really an illusion, for God created us perfect.  All forms of weakness ultimately have their basis in forgetting our true identity as perfect children of God.  We can strengthen a weakness by supporting it with something that is strong, but that is only a temporary fix.  The most effective solution is to investigate the reality of the weakness in the first place.
    
  God is the source of all that is, and being all-powerful, there is no possibility that something He created can be weak.  There is no room for weakness in His creations for there is no weakness in Him.  We are His creation and so we too must, by definition, be strong.  Weakness then has no real basis and must therefore be an illusion, a dream or a fantasy.  Knowing this we can therefore treat any perceived weakness as what it is, an illusion.  We need not be afraid of it for what is not real can have no effects.  It is a perception, and we need only acknowledge it as such, knowing that perceptions are unreal. 
    
  A stick appears broken when part of it is placed in water at a certain angle.  This is an optical illusion we perceive due to the differences in the density of air and water.  We know the stick is not broken, in spite of what we perceive.  This is the way to treat all perceptions:  acknowledge that we perceive what we perceive, but know that it is only an illusion, and unreal, and we therefore need not be afraid.

I and my Creator are One.